Michael Keaton Locked as ‘RoboCop’ Villain

José Padilha has ended his casting search on RoboCop, and he’s done so with a pretty unlikely choice. In securing the remake’s villain — a part that Hugh Lauriedropped and Clive Owen was soon thereafter rumored for — the Brazilian helmer has gone toward an actor everyone likes and nobody sees a whole lot of: Michael Keaton. [THR]

Yes, the now-recurring actor has been secured to play the remake’s primary antagonist, named by some as Raymond Sellars. Prior reports were a bit more specific in describing the character, telling us he’s actually a “cold, sarcastic CEO of Omni Corp.” — a.k.a., those responsible for creating the part-man, part-machine, all-cop hero.

Here’s what Padilha had to say about the casting:

“Michael is the final addition to the amazing cast we have assembled for this film and it is so great to have the last puzzle piece in place. It is thrilling that everything has come together to bring this innovative new vision of RoboCop to life. We’ve got a great script, a great cast, some killer ED-209’s and I can’t wait to get Alex Murphy back on the streets.”

Most would agree that, yes, Keaton is a great choice — particularly because he’s not someone you’d anticipate to see in the part — so excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, for kind of wanting to see him in a better film. Okay, okay, don’t judge this outright before you see it, I know, but reports on the script and some outside stories on the director’s own troubles raise concern. While Keaton might prove to be great in RoboCop, will it happen at a cost?